LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

STILLWAITING

I read with interest and amazement Lucy Swinnen’s article ( The Leader, April 19) ‘‘Wait for new bus shelters continues’’. Shame on the Wellington Regional Council. The residents of Upper Birchville, Parkdale, Emerald Hill (some 247 Homes) have been endeavouring to have a bus shelter for over seven years. We constantly wait for the bus (The Emerald Hill Terminus, ‘‘The Cow Paddock’’) without any shelter, usually either wet through or blown down the street (particularly over the past seven months) with the hope that we would get some shelter. The Leader kindly tried to assist, by representing our need on your front page, still we are left waiting. We noticed that they replaced the bus shelter (cnr Fergususon / Akatarawa) which is constantly graffitied, yet we still wait. Why couldn’t the WRC given us the old selter, we (the community) would certainly look after it. I amsure that Upper Hutt City Council would have no problem with issuing resource consent for the ‘‘Cow Paddock’’ bus stop. All residents supported my original petition and all subsequent yearly representations. Even the cows would appreciate the installation of the shelter.

Birchville

Dean Chandler-Mills, BOTTLE RECYCLING

I ama relative newcomer to Upper Hutt. I took quite a large number of bottles to dispose of, at the Silverstream dump. I inquired at the kiosk if there was some kind of discount because all I had was bottles. I was informed that there was no recycling of glass, and it was disposed of in the main tip for rubbish. This means all the glass disposed of in the main tip area will go straight into the landfill. Glass is not biodegradable. It will be there for ever. I was appalled. At Ngaio there is a bottle bank to allow green, brown and clear glass to be recycled. The dump in Happy Valley has a bottle recycling depot. In almost every reasonably sized town in New Zealand there is a recycle centre.At Huntly there is a marvellous recycle centre. The town is much smaller than Upper Hutt. They appear to be able sustain recycling, with a number of people working there, and at least two bulldozers, and a forklift. Even if recycling does not make a profit, and the council has to subsidise the recycling, it is far better than sending bottles straight into the landfill.

Jess MacDonald-Reid (Mr),

Trentham